New Members to the Flock

A friend of mine gave me a registered pair of  bantam Black Minorcas, a hen and a rooster. They're very pretty, and fairly sweet. After my ordeal with Cogburn, the thought of having another rooster has been the farthest thing from my thoughts, but this guy is pleasant!

Unfortunately the former owners (who had them before my friend) clipped their wings, so unlike my little bantam Brahma mixes, they can't fly up to the hopper bins and get to the roost near the ceiling. And knowing that my big hens wouldn't want anything to do with them, nor would they allow them to roost with them at night, I had to create a roost for them, up off the floor but low enough for them to jump to. Since I just took my old bookcase out of the living room and threw it on the burn pile, I realized that I could repurpose it into bantam nesting boxes, roosts and storage space.

I took the bottom shelf out, leaving long legs (which are mostly cover by pellet bedding now), boxed out the next shelf for nesting and created ledges, big enough to fit 2 bantams, under each shelf on alternating sides like stairs. The first one, just under one of the nesting boxes, is about 8" or 10" off the floor. Then next is on the other side and about 19" or 20" up. This gives them the ability to hop from ledge to ledge. I was worried that they wouldn't get it, that they'd sit on the floor like my sister's silkie frizzles and be cold all winter. Tonight, when I went out to close up and make sure everyone was accounted for, the Minorcas were on the 3rd ledge up, about 3 feet or so off the floor!

I was worried about trying to add new birds to the flock, but I think these two are going to work out well. And with a rooster in the house, I'm hoping to see some baby bantam Minorcas and maybe some Minorca/Brahma mixes!

I still haven't thought of names for them, but I'm leaning toward Gomez and Morticia or Frida and Diego.

Freezer Chicken

My very small order of meat chicks came in on May 20th.  Being new to meat birds, I started small...I only got 6.  My friend ordered them for me, so they cost me a grand total of $8.

Knowing that we couldn't name any of them individually (I really didn't want to form any kind of attachment to my future dinner), my family nicknamed them the "McNuggets."

They spent 2 weeks in the brooder, then 2 weeks in a dog crate in the basement, because my house smelled like chickens and good god, I couldn't wait to get them out of my house!

Then  I built them a PVC coop that I call the "Hoop Coop" since it looks like a hoop house:

I had to cover the very top with a tarp to keep the rain out and they only used the little house for the first 2 weeks that they were out there, then they got too big to all fit in it.  I also didn't realize that they would smell as badly as they do, nor that they would be as disgustingly messy as they are. In 4 1/2 weeks, I've moved the coop a few times, to give them access to fresh grass, as they will COVER that small patch of grass in poo in a VERY short amount of time! They also eat like there's no tomorrow (which in their case is fairly accurate, I guess) and they suck through gallons upon gallons of water a day.

Well, the birds have finally reached their 8 week status (8 1/2 really) and its time to have them processed.  A guy I went to high school with, just down the road from me, runs a meat cutting business and processes poultry, as well.  The McNuggets have a 7:30 appointment and then, they will fill my freezer.

Say goodbye to the McNuggets!

Free Rangers and the Sly Fox...one chicken's near death experience

Poor Miss Agnes got the scare of her little chicken life yesterday. She and the girls were wandering the front yard, not ten steps from my front door and a fox came out of nowhere and tried to abduct her!

I'm thankful that I heard the commotion and ran out. He took off out to the back path, chickenless. But there was a mound of feathers on the lawn and I knew it was Agnes' feathers. I was praying it wasn't Agnes! It was only feathers, though, so I started doing the head count and calling them in.

Josephine was in the pen, Hilda & Bertha were behind the shed, the four bantams were under the pear tree, Mildred was in a nesting box and poor Agnes was hiding in the garden. I checked her over and there was no blood, so Mr. Fox only got a mouthful of feathers! She was terrified, though. Needless to say, they stayed in the pen the rest of the day.

I worry about letting them out now, even with me being there. I know raising chickens means dealing with predators. I've got the shotgun loaded and handy now. And god help that fox if I see him near my chickens again, because I'm fairly handy with a rifle, pistol and shotgun, but there's not much I can do if I'm not there. I know I just need to let it go and let nature take its course, but they're pets to me...feathered cats that lay eggs and whose poop makes good fertilizer!

Chicken Day Spa

Last night, as I finished fencing the garden, the girls decided it was the perfect place for dust bathing and catching bugs. They spent a good 20 minutes rolling and kicking.

The video's poor quality. I only had my cell with me, rather than the new camera. Silly me, I didn't think I'd be videoing crazy chickens rolling around in compost and manure.

While I’ve still got a lot to learn with this camera, I’m unbelievably happy with the first shots!  Now if Mother Nature would cooperate and give me an evening without clouds and rain (maybe a glorious sunset, if that’s not too much to ask?), I’ll continue my snap happiness.

 

On a side note, today I pick up my order from the KLFI Buying Club, so be on the lookout for pictures from that and tomorrow, three friends and I will travel to a local nursery for an “edible landscaping” class.  The woman who is teaching it is from the UMaine Cooperative Extension.  Can’t wait!!!

Stinky Poo

So my wonderful, sweet dog who NEVER rolls in stinky stuff decided that her first foray into rolling in anything but leaves, clean grass or snow, would be in chicken shit! The perils of free ranging chickens is that their poop is EVERYWHERE!

Sadie and her stuffed chicken

The worst part was that I thought it was me, that I had brushed against it or, worse, gotten it in my hair. I changed my clothes, I checked my boots by the door, but I kept smelling it. I was about to put myself in the shower until I bent down and sniffed her head! Oh, but it was awful! 

I think, even Sadie couldn't stand the smell of herself, because she didn't put up much of a fight when I led her down to the bathroom and put her in the tub.  The dog shampoo that I had did NOT get rid of the smell of chicken poop, no matter how many times I applied it. My own shampoo, though, thankfully did!

Since the incident, I have to keep a close eye on her when she goes down back, near the coop and she wants so desperately to roll.  You can just see it in her face! And apparently rolling on the front lawn is just not as much fun as rolling on the back lawn.

Free Rangers and Digging in the Dirt

My little flock started free ranging yesterday!  They were leery for, oh about 30...maybe 40 seconds and then they were off exploring!
 

They couldn't wait to get out this morning, heading for the spot under the pine tree up by the driveway that they fell in love with yesterday.  It was a sweet spot, until two neighborhood cats started stalking them and the Bantams sent out the warning call that had me flying out the door to find out what was wrong.  Damn cats!  Since then, they've been sticking closer to the coop and digging in my garden.

Ah yes, the garden has been dug and the bean trellis has gone up!  I'm very proud of my bean trellis.  Its an old futon frame that I repurposed.

There's still a lot to be done before I can start planting; like fencing around it so my chickens don't dig up all my seeds!  That kind of defeats the purpose of growing my own food.

On a side note, the chickens are no longer sticking close to the coop as of a moment ago, when I went to check on them. There were two little Bantams hanging out in the coop, one of them sending out a warning squawk (which is why I went out in the first place).  For a moment, I thought I lost them.  Seriously, I couldn't hear them or see them anywhere until I started walking the perimeter of the property and there they were, over to the right of my tenant's driveway, in the brush under the apple tree, happily digging for whatever!  Fearless, I tell ya! So much for keeping them close and within view.

Words of Wisdom for the Day

Never give chickens guacamole. The after effects are not pretty...trust me!

Broody Hen

I'm dealing with my first, well and truly, broody hen. Its Miss Mildred, the one named for my grandmother.

At first, I didn't know what was wrong with her. She sat in the nesting box, with her head facing the back of the box, as if to say "Talk to the ass!" But she always got down at treat time (just before they get closed up for the night).  Then she started walking around all puffed up, making chirping sounds and the rooster kept going after her. When she started roosting on the drinker (and subsequently relieving herself into it), I know something was definitely not right.

Being the inexperienced chicken farmer that I am, I naturally thought she was sick. So off to the internet I went to find out what was wrong with my bird. Of course there were a million different sites out there that proceeded to SCARE THE CRAP out of me and make me think she was diseased! Thankfully a lovely little thread of backyard farmers eased my worries and provided some helpful hints to de-broodify her, from placing ice cubes/packs in the nest under her or dunking her underside in cool water to checking her into a suite at the Chicken Hilton (aka the dog crate in my basement).

Separating her may be the way to go. At the very least, it will give everyone else in the coop a break from her cranky squawking! That just may be on the agenda for this evening, before the snow hits.

Cluck cluck

Meet the Mr. and his ladies...

Cogburn the Silkie Rooster

The Bantam Brahma Crosses - Squit, Squat, Spit & Spot

Agnes the Orpington

Josephine the Speckled Sussex

Hilda & Bertha the Ameraucanas

Mildred the Cochin

Last weekend I was able move the Bantams out to the coop with the rest of the big chickens.  They all seem to be getting along well...though I think Squat got her comb a little too close to the chicken wire pen and one of the big girls bit it hard enough to draw blood!  They're still a little territorial, but my hope is that eventually they'll all get used to one another and when spring comes, and everyone is allowed to free-range, the Bantams can be let out of their little pen and the big ones will consider them part of the flock.

Every day is a learning experience when you own chickens!